Conveyer for lawn-mowing machines.



, PATENTED SEPT.'10,' 1907. J. H. AUBLE. GONVE'YER' FOR LAWN MOWINGMACHINES.

APPLICATION FILED DEG. 7,1906.

-2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

WITNESSES: M M/WM No. 865,748. PATENTED SEPT. 10; 1907. I v J. -H.AUBLE. GONVBYER FOR LAWN MOWING MAGHINBS.'

APPLICATION FILED DBG.7,1905.

' 2 SHEETS-SHEET 2. I

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UNITED sTATEs PATENT oEEIoE.

JAMES H AUBLE, OF CINCINNATI, OHIO, ASSIGNOR OF TWO-THIRDS TO JACOB H.BROMWELL, OF WYOMING, OHIO, AND JAMES J. MCDONALD, OF CINCINNATI, OHIO.

CONVEYER FOR LAWN-MOWING- MACHINES.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Sept. 10, 1907.

Application filed December 7, 1905. Serial No. 290,767-

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JAMES H. AUBLE, a citizen of the United States, anda resident of the city of Cincinnati, in the county of Hamilton andState of Ohio, have invented certain new and useful Improvements inConveyors for Lawn-Mowing Machines, of which the following is aspecification.

The several features of my invention and the various advantagesresulting from their use conjointly or otherwise will be apparent fromthe following description and claims.

In the accompanying'drawings making a part of this application,Figure 1is a side elevation of a lawn mower, illustrating my invention, theouter central portion of the wheel being removed. Fig. 2 is a top viewof a portion of this lawn mower. Fig. 3 is a View partly in section andpartly in elevation of a portion of one of the shafts or rolls on whichthe apron for delivering the cut grass at the rear of the machine issupported and by which it is operated, and illustrating the preferredconstruction for sustaining this shaft at one end and also for thereunshipping it. Fig. 4 shows partly in section and partly in elevationthe other end of the shaft or roll shown in Fig. 3 and the preferreddevice for there sustaining it. Fig. 5 is a view in perspective of aportion of the apron and the front roller for supporting this apron.Fig. 6 is a view in section taken through the apron in the plane of thedotted line 6, 6, of Fig. 5. Fig. 7 is a view in perspective of one ofthe end guides for supporting the apron, and its supporting plates.Figs. 5, 6 and 7 are made upon a scale larger than that of Figs. 1 and2. Fig. 8 is a view in perspective of a portion of a lawn mowerillustrating my invention. Fig. 9 is a vertical, central transversesection of one of the main wheels, the gear operated by it, thestationary sleeve shaft which embraces the solid or rotatory shaft; thelatter as well as that part of the reciprocatory bar which is employedto impart motion to the mechanism for moving the cutters being shown inelevation. Fig. 10 shows, in perspective, and on a diminished scale, anew and valuable mode of connecting the handle to the driving axle. Fig.11 shows in perspective one of the duplicate iron branches of thishandle. Fig. 12 is an elevation, on a large scale, of one of the strappieces which, when further shaped as hereinafter described, is employedto hold a branch iron of the handle to the connection between the diskswhich latter are respectively located adjacent to their respectivedriving wheels. Fig. 13, on a large scale, shows one of the spring keys,such as are preferably employed to hold the strap pieces to the branchirons of the han- Fig. 14 is a view, enlarged, of a portion of the tion,but the strap irons and shaft are shown'in section,

this section being taken in the plane of the dotted line 14, 14, of Fig.10. Fig. 15 shows, on the same large scale, this shaft, strap iron andbranch iron and spring key together, the branch iron and a part of thestrap being shown in section. This section is taken in the plane of thedotted line 15, 15, ofFig. 14.

I will now proceed to describe my invention in detail.

The machine relates to that class of machines where the main weight ofthe mechanism is supported on two driving wheels. If the forward portionof the machine needs any other support from the earth, the machine maythere be supported on runners, which slide over the ground, or on smallwheels. The use of such runners, and also the use of small wheels is oldin the art of mechanism for lawn mowers, and does not need to beparticularly described herein.

In the machine illustrated in the drawings, I have shown auxiliaryground wheels A, for supporting the forward portion of the cutting knifeframe B. This frame B extends back and is duly connected to a disk C.There are two disks C, one on each side of the machine. Each of thesedisks C is supported on the main axle shaft D. These disks C arerespectively adjacent to their respective main wheels E. Each of themain wheels E is connected to the shaft D, substantially as shown inFig. 8. The constructions mentioned are symmetrical at both ends of themachine. I11 the frame B, I journal the rod or roller F. One end of thisroller F thus journaled is shown in Figs. 1 and 2. The other end of thisroller is journaled in the corresponding part of the frame, at the otherside of the machine. In the rear lower portion of one of the disks C isjournaled one end of a shaft G. The other end of this shaft is journaledin the corresponding disk C at the other side of the machine. The shaftG is to be positively driven, so I extend the roller at one end beyondthe adjacent disk C, and fix thereon a gear-wheel H. On the main shaftD, which is driven by the main wheels E, I fix a gear wheel .I, and theteeth of the latter engage the teeth of the gear H. The rotation of thegear'J rotates the gear H, and consequently rotates the shaft Gr.

Between and upon the roll F and upon the shaft G, I place an endlessapron K. This apron runs around each roll and is indicated by dottedlines in Fig. 1 and by solid lines in Fig. 2. The rotation of the shaftG moves the apron, and when the machine is advancing, namely: in thedirection of the arrow Z, Fig. 1, that part of the apron which isuppermost will move backward as shown by the arrow K while that partthereof which is underneath will run forward as indicated by the arrow KThus when the machine is advancing,

the grass, etc., cut by the knives will fall upon the forward portion ofthe upper part of the apron and be carried backward on the moving apronand be deposited at the rear of the machine, and behind the apron. If abasket or other catchall be placed at and below the apron at the rearpart of it, the grass and leaves will fall therein. Otherwise they willfall on the ground. But in either event, this grass, etc., will becarried back from the knives and cannot interfere with their working.The roll F may be rotatable or be stationary. If stationary, it shouldbe smooth so that the apron may easily slip around it. I combine withthe apron K the teeth R. Theseare formed on a shank piece R whichextends crosswise on the apron. This shank is held fast to the apron bythe clenching prong R R These are present at intervals, and preferablyin pairs, one tooth at one edge of the shank, and another tooth at theopposite edge of the shank. The teeth R are passed through the materialof the apron, and are bent beneath the apron and underneath where theshank is located above. To give the teeth and shank a desired purchaseon the apron, a rod R is located on the inside of the apron oppositewhere the shank lies on the outside of the apron, and the teeth R areclenched over this bar. The teeth on one side of the shank proj ect upat right angles to the plane of the apron. The shank R is furtherprovided with teeth or projections R preferably pointed which extendrearward on the apron. These projections B have among their functionsthat of steadying the shanks R and the teeth R. When the apron is inoperation, the teeth are carried up at the front and rearward with theupper part of the apron. When the grass cut by the knives falls on theapron, and is carried by the latter rearward, the teeth materially aidin preventing the apron slipping beneath the grass, and compels all ofthe grass to move rearward, for discharge at the back end of themachine.

For purposes of economy, I prefer to make the shaft G compound. make themain part of the shaft G of wood. At one end of the shaft G, I place themetal rod G which rotates in its adjacent disk. 1 drive this rod G intothe wooden shaft. At the other end of this wooden shaft, I locate themetal rod G and I drive this into the wooden shaft. This metal rod G3rotates in its adjacent disk. I square the outer portion of this rod Gat G. On this squared portion I locate the gear wheel H aforementioned.Of course, if the rod G at G is left round, a key can be used to fix thegear H on the shaft, but my aforementioned construction is more simple.I prefer to make the gear H thicker than the gear J, because then ifthere be longitudinal play of the shaft D, or of the shaft G (the latteris more common), the gear H cannot get out of engagement with the gearI. I thicken this gear by putting tlnee such gears side by side, andfastening them rigidly together. Such a mode of constructing this gearis a very simple and cheap one. I can easily make the triplicate piecesby stamping them out of thin metal.

In the preferred construction, the main shaft D is rotatable with thewheels, and a sleeve shaft T embraces the main shaft substantially asshown. The side spective holes N N of the ears N N or discal portion Eof the wheel E is located on the shaft D, and is on this shaft betweenthe nuts T at the outside, and the nuts or washers T at the inside ofthe shaft. The latter nuts or washers are firmly fixed on the shaft.Locking bolts V extending through these nuts or washers T and the sideportion E hold these together and compel the shaft and these to turntogether. Of the outside nuts T one is screwed tightly against the diskand the other (a set nut) is screwed against the first named nut. 1

The stationary disk G, which it will be remembered is connected to theframe, is on the sleeve. The nuts or washers W fixed on the sleeve infront and behind the disk hold and prevent it from moving laterally onthe sleeve. At the end where the gear J is present, this gear takes theplace of one of the washers or nuts T, substantially as indicated inFig. 8. I

The handle is connected to the sleeve T, see Figs. 8, 10 and 14. Lindicates the shank of the handle, and M, M, the branch irons of thehandle. These branch irons M, M, are connected to the sleeve T, asfollows: The free end of each branch iron is concaved at M so as toreceive and fit a portion of the round of the sleeve T, see Figs. 10, 11and 14. I provide strap irons N, and these I shape as follows: The mainportion i 2 of the strap iron. is straight and of even width. At eachend of this iron N, l form ears N one on each edge of the iron N, seeFigs. 10, 12, 14 and 15. Each ear N has a hole N through it. Each branchiron M has two holes through it, which holes respectively aline with there- In practice, these ears are bent forward in the same direction,until their side surfaces are in planes at right angles to the planes ofthe longitudinal edges of the main part of the strap iron. The bendingline of each ear is the dotted line next to it. The straps thus formedare bent in a curve at their midlength, and are then located on therespective branch irons, as follows: The sleeve T is received into theconcaved part M of the branch iron M. The strap N is next placed overthe sleeve T and moved up so that it lies against the edges of thebranch iron M, and the strap and its ears N, at one end of it (the strapiron) embrace the branch iron at and near one edge, and the strap andits ears 1' at the other end embrace the branch iron at and near theother edge of the latter. Securing pins, bolts or split keys (preferablythe latter) P are passed through the holes N of a pair of ears and theadjacent hole M of the branch iron; a securing key being at each end ofthe branch iron. The branch irons are thus secured to the sleeve T, seeFigs. 8, l0 and 15. The construction I thus provide for securing thehandle to the sleeve T and for separating it therefrom is a simple andeconomical one. The device enables the handle to be quickly and easilyconnected to the sleeve T, and as quickly and readily disconnectedtherefrom.

The branch irons M, M are properly secured to the handle L, preferablyby rivets or bolts entering the handle L, through holes M in the branchirons. In cases where the wheels are j ournaled on the main shaft, andthe latter is stationary and is connected to the frame directly or byintermediate means; the sleeve can be dispensed with, and the branchirons of the handle can and ordinarily will be made to embrace theshaft. Their mode of contact will not differ from that herein described.In the claims, the sleeve Where mentioned will in such cases beconsidered so far as the handle branch irons and straps are concerned,to be the same as a shaft.

Guides S, S, for supporting the middle portion of the apron are present,one at each side of the machine. Each guide S has two adjacent flatportions S and S the part S being at the rear of the machine main shaft,and the part S being in front of this shaft. The part S has a flange Swhich receives at S a bolt, which connects it to a part of the frameworkB. It has another flange S which is connected to the disk 0 by a rivetat S. The part S has a flange S which is connected to the disk 0 by arivet at S. This entire guide is preferably formed out of a single pieceof metal,

What I claim as new, and of my invention and desire to secure by LettersPatent, is z- 1. The apron, composed of the sheet of textile fabric, andextended strips'of metal located thereon at right angles to thedirection of the movement of the sheet, these strips of metal havingteeth extending at an angle out from these strips, and clenching teethbent and passed through the textile sheet, and bent inside the sheet,substantially as and for the purposes specified.

2. The apron, composed of the sheet of textile fabric, and extendedstrips of metal located thereon at right angles to the direction of themovement of the sheet, these strips of metal having teeth extending atan angle out from these strips, and clenching teeth bent and passedthrough the textile sheet, a bar located on the inside of the sheetopposite the said strip, the teeth of the strip bent around the bar,substantially as and for the purposes specified.

3. A conveyer comprising an endless belt, metal strips securedtransversely thereon, said strips having teeth thereon extendingparallel to the belt and teeth extending at an angle thereto.

JAMES H. AUB'LE.

Attest JOHN E FITZPATRICK, K. SMITH.

